"It is sad that the only way to get A&W root beer with sugar rather then corn syrup is to pony up to an actual A&W brick and mortar! A friend turned me onto this tip, for whom I will pick up a gallon of the stuff as a thoughtful gesture whenever I pass by it is convenient and they are in town. One can also get a gallon of calorie free root beer! The gallon comes in a bag with handle and turn top seal.Their burger deals are the same as if you rode up to McDonald 's next door or across the street. While you can order in advance similar to McD 's, it does not seem you can park in a designated spot in the lot where your items will be delivered to you. The convenience of this at McD 's unlike even a Burger King is not to be underestimated. Not only can you wait in the comfort of your vehicle: you are not having to wait in line with the riff raff who simply nonchalantly drove up to the outdoor menu and transceiver and placed their order in real time: now, despite ordering in advance through the A&W app, you are now five cars deep as orders are handed to one in the car at the window serially...I do like their basic cheeseburger more than McD 's: like Burger King, A&W, theirs has a lovely char, more natural than BK. But the pricing among the three outlets for their normal sized burgers is very very similar. The closest BK to the A&W McD 's pairing is north off of 101, about 5 10 minutes away.I tend to go to BK: their deals and point system works for me. Wednesdays you can get a regular Whopper for $3!!!The A&W fries are the best of the three: they have a texture between BK and McD 's. When McD 's fries are fresh they are amazing: rarely fresh or cooked properly however... BK simply charged too much for their fries. But, you can get an offer which drops the price down significantly. But you can only use one offer per order or day.About that:I disagree: you cannot use both an offer and use your accrued points. That is just wrong! Maybe it is a limitation of the ordering or computer system. But it is too evil to not make it so.What I love the most about A&W it seems like a family owned business, everyone seems happy to be working there. No corporate BS or feeing one is working for The Man. That alone should convince you to consider A&W even though their pricing seems to be a bit higher than either McD 's or Birger King. I have heard that some SF Bay Area BK outlets will be shuttered. I don 't know if the one near Ignacio is at risk. However, I cannot even imagine how any fast food drive up outlet survives... the miners just don 't make sense to me.The bottom line for the mega corporate companies must be another angle than selling burgers fries and shakes except, of course: In n Out seems to be crowded the entire time they are open...Our A&W has an antiquated look and fee clearly from decades of service. The patina in the form of grit and hand polished surfaces gives it a consistency unattainable by any McD 's worthIt 's muster. BK just looks worn down wherever you find 'em.Getting back to the staff at each:A&W: nice friendly working hard to serve you a delicious meal; orange colored t shirts.McD 's: the professionalism and and the uniform and tightness uniformity is sharp and makes you feel special in a different way.BK: no pride in their situation; no sense they represent something bigger than the local owner 's situation. Nice enough, the staff has little perspective they represent a huge corporate brand.Offers and a specials:BK: Sometimes an offer is not available at s given BK: the app does not know the difference until well after you have selected the store location. The Wednesday Whopper deal cannot be beaten.McD: Consistent. I always pick one deal or use my points for free stuff. Suggestions in the app are brilliant. Again, not being able to use points and offers is ridiculously lame.A&W: a daily deal is gonna be exciting and enticing: 2 cheeseburgers for $7 is awesome. Except on a Wednesday but the 2 fer da"
